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Briana: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News -- One of the worst nursing homes in New Jersey, those words from the state comptroller after a damning report revealing a massive Medicaid scam at the expense of patients' lives.

Plus, more drone sightings in the skies.

Officials are demanding it issues.

The former chief of the FBI drone unit weighs in.

Rob: I think people are not used to looking up in the sky and understanding how busy it can be.

Briana: Also taking on gun makers.

What is being called the largest civil litigation case against the gun industry to try to curb gun violence.

>> This is the most consequential and significant lawsuit filed by state Attorney General against a major firearm manufacturer.

Briana: State lawmakers want to hit the brakes on a clean truck bill, but climate activist's not having it.

>> The New Jersey largest source of emissions is from trucks.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins now.

♪ >> from NJPBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News, with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Thursday night.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

We begin with top headlines.

First, a state watchdog has under covered a massive state Medicaid scam at a nursing home.

According to an investigation by the state comptroller's office, the owners of South Jersey extended care, which has been consistently ranked worst in the state, lined their pockets with millions of dollars while letting residents suffer in filth with poor medical care, a scheme the comptroller said went unnoticed for years by the state agencies that are supposed to oversee them.

Investigators found that Michael Konig, who was barred from running nursing homes and other states for serious violations, was running the home along with his brother-in-law while its suppose it owner Mark Weisz was just a straw owner.

The men allegedly inflated costs to boost profits for themselves while under delivering critical care for patients.

Another nursing home operated by the same individuals in Maple Shade have both been barred from New Jersey's Medicaid program, which could potentially shut them down.

Kevin Walsh: The poor, the elderly, people with sickness, and residents who had no family to look after them, they profited on the despair of people who wanted better care but had no way to get it.

Briana: Also tonight of a grand jury has indicted the man accused of driving drunk when he struck and killed hockey star Johnny Goudreau and his brother Matthew.

He was driving on a rural road in Salem County.

For your four-year-old Sean Higgins is facing a slew of charges including aggravated manslaughter, two counts of reckless vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a fatal up accident, and tampering with physical evidence.

Prosecutors say Higgins illegally tried to pass an SUV on the right when he struck the Gaudreau brothers who were traveling on the shoulder of the road.

Higgins admitted to drinking several beers in the day.

He also admitted to hiding beer cans after hitting the Gaudreaus.

It's official, your tolls and past fares are going up, starting in January.

Port Authority commissioners voted in favor of a new $9.4 billion budget paid for in part with higher fares on taxes.

Each ride will be three dollars effective January 12, marking the first fair increase in a decade.

Drivers will pay more at the Port Authority run bridges and tunnels.

Most drivers using easy pass now pay $15 at the crossings.

That will go up $.25 next month followed by a quarter increase annually for the next three years.

That is on top of automatic inflation-based toll hikes the board approved back in 20 19th -- 2019, along with an increased anyone using the toll by mail program.

It's a pricing plan for motorists entering Manhattan south of 60th Street.

That will run you nine dollars if you go by car, on top of all the other tolls.

Governor Murphy and other state leaders have criticized the congestion pricing tool as a way to make money from the pockets of New Jersey residents.

People throughout the state one answers about the mysterious drone sightings being reported.

By some estimates, there have been hundreds of spotted in New Jersey skies since mid-November.

Now more and more elected officials are chiming in, sharing their frustrations with the Murphy administration and the federal government over the lack of information being shared.

Elected leaders were asked to join a briefing in Trenton on Wednesday, but the New Jersey State police and a representative from Homeland Security has said they left with more questions than answers.

Those who attended saying no one could confirm just how many drones are flying over the state, whether they are commercial or hobbyist drones.

The FBI is investigating, and the federal government is reportedly sending New Jersey drone-specific radar to help the state investigate the sightings.

Meanwhile, other high-level officials, including Governor Murphy, say the number of drones actually flying in our airspace is are likely being over reported.

You can count Rob D'Amico among them.

He spent decades at the FBI and most recently was the former chief of the Bureau's counter drone unit.

He joins me now to shed more light on what is really going on.

Rob, thanks for giving us some of your time.

Based on your background, your experience, what is the most likely explanation for these drone sightings, and what stands out to you about what has been reported in New Jersey?

Rob: Well, the thought of this many drones, first, it opened airspace, they are not doing anything illegal.

But when I ran the FBI counter drone unit, any time there were around the Super Bowl, World Series, anytime they heard the FBI Counter-Drone Unit was there, they would start looking in the sky come and manned aircraft, it is tough to tell how far they are.

I truly think 90% of these sightings are manned aircraft.

When you look at them and the lights, the navigation lights, and how they fly, they are manned aircraft, and people have never looked up in the sky before to notice how crowded it is with aircraft up there.

And the problem is, anytime, like all the politicians are coming out and telling people to look for drones and help out, they are now looking at the sky come and especially at night, it is tough.

Also, now drones can be up there.

There are a couple of drones in those citing some of that I would say 90% of them are not drones, and secondly, if a nationstate was flying drones, they are not going to have lights on, and they are not going to fly them at an ousted where people can hear.

We do it all the times overseas.

If you know what to listen for, like with creditors and other drones, you can figure it out, but we never have lights on -- predators and other drones, you can figure it out, but we never have lights on, especially in a covert setting if you are trying to gather information.

Briana: The state police gave a briefing with the governor, from a bunch of lawmakers, where he said one of the state police choppers was about a six-foot drone, and they decided to veer off.

They did not feel it was safe for the pilot of that helicopter.

Are you saying, then, that perhaps even the state police is mis-identifying which aircraft we are seeing?

How do you differentiate?

I know you mentioned the lights, the size, the placement of it.

Are there other ways to differentiate?

Rob: There are systems out there.

I know New Jersey State police has a counter system, which protects it.

-- counter-drone system, which protects it.

A company that has one of the best systems out there, they use radar, they use radio frequencies.

How you can control the drone.

They use videos that can capture what you are seeing.

Also they use data and AI on a drone's pattern and how it predicts its movement and staff.

They are big here in the U.S. and overseas.

If it was a helicopter pilot telling me that, I think I would give it more credence, but there are six-foot drones out there.

There are agricultural drones.

But what airspace was it flying over, and was it flying within the FAA's restrictions of what they are allowed to do?

So the helicopter pilot might have seen a drone, but then again, was it up to nefarious activity, or was it fly in G rated open airspace and was just doing something, and the pilot encountered it, and it was flying within like 400 feet or less or whatever it was allowed to fly?

So, again, the intent of what that drone was doing -- I'm not saying he did not see it.

A pilot knows a little bit better.

But also, was a visual?

Was it radar?

Where was it at?

I think if you take most of these sightings and you mapped it out over New Jersey, that you would look at most likely it's by airports where you have manned aircraft, and people do not understand what the lights on a manned aircraft look like, now that they are looking up at the sky.

Briana: Should we take or do you accept that the FBI, a, is not exactly sure what's behind, who's behind them, but is reassuring the public that there is no immediate threat posed?

Or, is it more possible that there's information, and for, of course, security reasons, they need to withhold it?

Rob: I don't think any security reasons to withhold information, and I don't think the department of defense either.

The Department of Defense has some systems out there, too, especially over military bases.

Over a military base, the Department of Defense has a counter drone authority to do what they need to do.

And then the FAA is our airports.

I think the FBI is essentially going to bring up the systems, but there's no reason to expect over open airspace, where you have to fly drones, that this investigation has to be, it is, you know, nefarious activity over there.

I think Secret Service may have put a temporary flight restriction over the golf course pair they normally only do it when you have the president or a former president at a location where they put up TFR to restrict flight trails over the airport.

But most of it is probably over G come open airspace.

Around airports, it is different.

I live a few miles away from a regional airport.

If I want to fly my drone, a little drones and if I want to fly it, I have to get approval.

In my area, I can only fly is 300 feet and below come and if I go above it, I am in violation of the FAA.

But I have to tell them, and they have my phone number, so that tells the pilots, 300 feet or below.

As close as you get to an airport, the space gets restricted more and more.

Over an airport, obviously, there's a no-fly zone.

Briana: The government said it will send some type of technology to help New Jersey detect the drones, identify them.

Are you concerned at all about this lag in understanding what it is, if they are unmanned drones or manned vehicles, and the space it has created for misinformation to be spread?

We had a congressman yesterday, claiming that possibly there's a mothership from iran.

The Pentagon swiftly debunk that.

There is this environment for misinformation to be spread.

Rob: I think it has caught the government a little bit by surprise, the hysteria that came over.

The congressman, that was absolutely responsible for him to say.

He has "anonymous sources, trust " trust me, if Iran has ships, the government knows about it.

I think the FBI will bring systems of their, again, to give people, you know, a better feeling about it.

But there was no need before because drones fly all the time and open airspace.

There was nothing that was coming into, I think, manned aircraft.

Like I said, all the videos I've seen that people have put on next and other social media, I look at them, like that is an airplane.

When you are used to looking up there.

I use an app called Flightradar24 Flight.

I actually use it for clients that are flying, and so I can track their plane, but they are very accurate.

Because I've been on a plane using it, and it even has me on the taxiway.

And that app, you can stand under something, it will show you all the planes flying over, even military, Coast Guard, government airplanes.

You can click on it, and you can see how many airplanes are in certain areas at certain altitudes, you can see how crowded the airspace can be.

If you are not used to that, at night, you cannot tell distance, and my biggest thing is, if a nation state flying against us, or terrorists, you will not have the navigation lights on.

You will not see them.

You know exactly what they are at.

I think it is Asteria -- hysteria, and people are not used to looking up in the sky and seeing how busy it can be.

Briana: Rob D'Amico, thank you.

Appreciate your time.

There's a new crackdown on the gun industry.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Plotkin -- Platkin is suing gun maker block.

It calls on Glock to switch sales of its firearm to the markable, allowing that they can be easily made into machine guns with an inexpensive add-on component that enables people to fire up to 1200 rounds a minute.

The AG calls it a threat to public safety, accusing Glock of profiting it from it for -- from it.

Brenda Flanagan has more.

Brenda: You get one shot on a trigger pull, but adding this little piece called a switch transforms that Glock into an illegal machine gun.

>> The switch enables the block to automatically fire up to 1200 rounds per minute.

For decades, Glock has knowingly sold products that anyone with a screwdriver and a YouTube video can turn into a military grade machine gun in a matter of minutes.

Brenda: Attorney General Matt Platkin announced he is leading a coalition of attorneys general from 16 states, seeking to combat gun violence by coordinated enforcement of civil and consumer protection laws.

The first action, a landmark action gives Glock, followed by Minnesota's Attorney General.

A.G. Platkin: This is the most consequential and civil lawsuit ever filed by state Attorney General against a major firearms manufacturer.

Brenda: The ATF seized more than 5400 guns with conversions between 2017 and 2021 nationwide .

That is 8570% increase over the 800 14 converted weapons seized between 2012 and 2016.

Glock does not make the switch, but folks can buy one online or make their own with a 3D printer.

Platkin says Glock profit.

A.G. Platkin: Glock's owners sat in Austria and lined their pockets with products paid for by American bloodshed, and they did nothing.

That behavior, placing profit over human life, is unconscionable.

Brenda: The lawsuit brings five counts against Glock under jerseys firearms industry public safety law and one count under its product liability act in the Superior Court's division.

Ravi: we are seeking an order that will stop Glock from continuing to market to consumers in New Jersey as well as restitution for the public harm Glock has caused.

Brenda: However, Glock does make a fifth generation millimeter pistol designed with a block that prevents users from being able to install switch, however, that's not good enough, according to the lawsuit.

The suit derides Glock for adding a small plastic piece that can easily be filed away in a few minutes, this minor modification was not a genuine, reasonable, bona fide solution to the problem.

A.G. Platkin: Glock is selling a version of their firearm in Germany that cannot be switched, not that it is slightly harder to switch, it cannot be switched.

That firearm is not available here in the United States.

Brenda: Glock did not reply for request for comment.

Meanwhile, Moms Demand Action had plenty to say.

Jeanne: It is about time.

It is an epidemic.

We have to hold the gun industry accountable.

I'm thrilled that he is working with other Attorney Generals across the country.

Brenda: Glock faces a similar lawsuit filed by the city of Chicago.

Platkin says it is an attack on the second amendment rights, and he has filed a political salvo.

A.G. Platkin: We know that work has never been more important, because they know that the is -- of the incoming Trump Administration routinely sides with the gun industry over routine public safety.

Brenda: He says it's about public safety.

In New York, I'm Brenda Flanagan.

NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: In our spotlight on business report, the fight over New Jersey's so-called dirty truck rule came to a head today when the assembly transportation committee heard a proposal to delay new guidelines around getting zero emission trucks on the road by two years.

The law is slated to go into effect in January and will require a certain percentage of sales of new commercial trucks to be clean, to help with pollution.

But the rules have gotten major pushback from truckers and business groups who say the industry needs more time to roll this out.

Raven Santana reports.

Helder: -- will be in trouble if this happens.

Raven: After hearing more than two hours of testimony, New jersey's assembly transportation committee unanimously voted to advance a bill, a two year to -- two-year delay in a truck rule set to go into effect January 2025.

The approved legislation delayed the government mandate that would require manufacturers medium and heavy-duty trucks to sell and increasing percentage of new battery power vehicles on the way to reduce air pollution.

The decision was disappointing to environmental advocates, who come in a recent letter, warned to delay public health.

>> I think a lot of that mixed reaction comes from misunderstanding about what advanced trucking does.

Advanced trucking is an incremental process to electrify our trucks.

New Jersey's largest source of emissions is from transportation, and that is not only a climate change issue but a public health issue.

We have counties failing across the state for ozone and other air-quality contaminants.

A delay would tell people that they need to continue breathing that dirty air.

Laura: It's also saying to business owners, I need you to replace these three trucks, and to find out, the diesel I would have bought would have been $180,000 to a piece, the electric truck is going to run me about $500,000?

It is a huge gap of costs.

Raven: Laura Perrotta, president of The New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, who testified in front of the delay, said it has led to a lack of demand for electric trucks.

Laura: They need to know they can operate their businesses in the same way.

That it won't take time away out of the service rules that they live under, that they can refuel quickly and efficiently, that there's charging en route, that they can get the payload or capacity out of the vehicle that they normally would out of a vehicle, so many new factors, and they are introducing a brand-new technology that the customer, the truck buyer, have to be really comfortable, that this tool, this business tool, this truck, will work the same way in the future as it has historically.

Raven: Romolo, who sells trucks in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, says the advanced clean truck rule is not a one-size-fits-all.

He explains what he sees firsthand, including the lack of infrastructure in New Jersey.

Romolo: So if someone says they want to buy electric trucks, we say OK great, here's the price, but let's look at your building, how are you going to charge it?

How many hours are you using the truck?

26-foot box truck, OK, we use these to distribute our parts.

So we have the five stores in New Jersey.

We cannot make that entire ride from Dayton to Bloomsbury to Rockaway to Ridgefield Park back to Dayton with one charge.

There's too many miles to do that.

So on our way along that path, we have to plug in to our parts department and charge up the trucks.

Raymond: Nothing against EV trucks.

We think it is an up-and-coming technology, but the fact of the matter is we are not ready for it.

These trucks are extremely expensive, but even more importantly, the consumers don't want to buy them right now, because they don't meet the needs of all classes of industry.

We don't have the charging infrastructure in place.

We don't have the electricity to even charge them if we did this.

Raven: The bill has a long way before the delay is official.

It has to pass the assembly and the Senate.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Raven Santana.

Briana: That's going to do it for us tonight, but make sure you check out Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz tomorrow.

David talks to Michael Rasmussen, from the scandals to politics of New Jersey.

Plus, a panel of local journalists talking all the weeks other political headlines tomorrow at noon on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire team at NJ Spotlight News, thanks for being with us, have a great night.

We will see you back your tomorrow.

>> NJM Insurance Group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

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♪ >> Have some water.

Julia: Look at these kids.

What do you see?

I see myself.

I became an ESL teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country, the opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve, a chance to belong and to be an American.

My name is Julia Toriani Crompton and I'm proud to be an NJEA member.

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